Review Promises

I'd completely forgotten about my Voracious Readers Only "20-book giveaway". Sites that promise reviews rarely live up to expectations, and honestly, they can't force readers to leave reviews. My use of the word "promise" is probably a bit harsh. No, they don't promise. They simply imply that if you use their service, your rewards will be bounteous. Can't blame them, really.

And to be fair, VRO was free. I can't complain that I was cheated (not that I would). What brings this to mind is that I just received an email from them, telling me that someone had reviewed my book. One person. 

Getting reviews is a hopeless struggle, one that has no solution. I've rarely left a review for a book ~ it hardly ever crosses my mind to do so. I did a couple of times, when a book disappointed me. One was a history of one of the most popular TV shows of all time, and I was eager to delve into the background of it. But the author hadn't even interviewed the major players. I got nothing but a rehash of different episodes. Another was a supposed autobiography (by an entertainer) that turned out to be a political screed. I posted reviews as sort of a protest ~ I hadn't gotten what I'd been promised.

But if I read a work of fiction, whether I enjoyed it or I didn't, the thought of leaving a review probably won't enter my head, and even if it did, I wouldn't see the point. I do think, though, that the expectation with these review sites is that the reader should leave a review. VRO, for example, states:

If you enjoy the book, we hope you’ll post a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or your blog/social media to help build word of mouth. 

Perhaps the reason I've only received one review is due to the statement, "if you enjoy the book". Fair enough. Better one good review than 19 bad ones. (Disclaimer: I haven't read the review.)

Social media posts by other self-published authors basically mirror my results, regardless of which service they've used. At least I didn't pay to utilize VRO. I tried to pay for BookSirens' services, but, as you know, they really, really don't like me. They've turned me down for two different books. 

The truth is, I've so moved on from Lies and Love. I wouldn't even consider it my best work, but it's the one I chose to promote. The only story that matters to me at this point is the one I'm writing now. 

That's all that should ever matter.